Pickup trucks and many sports utility vehicles are equipped with a trailer hitch typically employed to receive a hitch ball which may be connected to a trailer for towing. In recent years, external carriers have become popular to provide additional transport capacity especially for vehicles that do not have a luggage rack on the roof. These external carriers include a four-sided platform connected to a mounting tube which may be inserted into and secured within the hitch of a vehicle. The platform is configured to support luggage, coolers and similar items, or game in hunting applications, such that the items are readily accessible at the back of the vehicle and at the level of the hitch rather than on vehicle roof.
Most carriers of the type described above comprise opposed side walls and opposed end walls which are connected at the ends by welding. A bottom wall, which may be in the form of wire mesh or a solid plate, is welded or otherwise secured to the side walls and end walls to form the platform of the carrier. The mounting tube is welded at the base of the bottom wall with one end protruding from the platform for insertion into the hitch. Carriers of this type are bulky, unattractive and relatively expensive to manufacture in view of the number of welds needed to connect the walls and mounting tube together.